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Madrid faces an indefinite teachers' strike from 14 October
The new school year will begin in Madrid under the threat of a conflict that could shape much of the autumn. Nine unions and groups have called an indefinite general strike in public non-university education starting on 14 October, a move that could involve more than 60,000 teachers from schools, colleges, and Vocational Training centres.
Classes will begin before the strike: Infant and Primary pupils will return to classrooms on 7 September, and those in ESO, Bachillerato and Vocational Training on the 8th. This leaves just over a month to negotiate before the strike could disrupt timetables, lessons, and the daily routines of thousands of families.
This week, the organisers sent a letter to the Education Councillor, Mercedes Zarzalejo, requesting immediate negotiations to avoid reaching 14 October. The strike committee says there is still time to defuse the conflict, but is demanding concrete changes rather than just further meetings.
Key demands include reducing teaching hours to 17 periods per week in Secondary and Vocational Training and 22 in Primary, lowering class sizes, more resources for diversity support, and measures to reduce job insecurity. They are also calling for a €600 monthly pay rise and improvements to conditions in the schools.
Air conditioning and the state of some buildings are also part of the demands. The unions want a specific plan to deal with episodes of heat and cold, and more investment in infrastructure, especially in older schools or those in areas with rapidly growing student numbers.
The protest will have an initial test in the streets. The groups are preparing a major demonstration for 27 September, aiming to increase pressure on the Comunidad de Madrid before the formal start of the strike. The call echoes some of the spirit of the Marea Verde education protests, though this time the stated aim is to keep the strike going indefinitely if no agreement is reached.
The Education Department says it will listen to the demands, but defends the sectoral agreement signed in 2025 and believes there are already commitments underway to improve teachers' conditions. The organisers, however, consider this framework insufficient and are calling for broader measures.
For families, September will therefore begin as normal in the classrooms, but with a date marked in red a few weeks later. If negotiations fail, 14 October could change the routine of schools and colleges and bring the education conflict from the negotiating tables to every neighbourhood in Madrid.